Brock Little: “I Have Cancer. It Sucks.”

The noted Hawaiian big-wave surfer and Hollywood stuntman Brock Little took to Instagram yesterday to announce his cancer diagnosis.

“To My instagram friends, if u didn’t know already- I don’t look at my instagram or run it, but that changes today, my brother @clarklittle set up the account & my good friend @420_north (jess) did me a great favor & showed the instagram world I’m alive & having fun ! I’m not sure how interested I’ll be in instagram but from now on everything u see posted will come from me. Love Brock.”

Today, he wrote: “I have cancer. It sucks, but I taking chemo. You do what you can. Can’t believe the person in that picture is me. I look in the mirror and I feel like it’s not me.”

Who doensn’t love the classy, handsome, and fantastically humorous Hawaiian?

“Unflinching big-wave surfer and world traveler from Haleiwa, Hawaii; runner-up in the 1990 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau contest at Waimea Bay. Little was born (1967) in Napa, California, moved with his family to Hawaii at age three, and began surfing at age seven. He was a finalist in the menehune division of the 1980 United States Surfing Championships; just over six years later the 145-pound pencil-legged rookie pro placed fourth in the 1986 Quiksilver event, held in ragged 20-foot surf at Waimea. Little was 19; Clyde Aikau, Mark Foo, and Ken Bradshaw, the three surfers who placed ahead of him, were 37, 28, and 34, respectively.

“Although Little was runner-up to Hawaiian surfer Keone Downing in the 1990 Quiksilver contest, held in spectacular 25 to 30-foot Waimea surf, he stole the show with a gladiatorial wipeout on the biggest wave of the day, and followed up by pulling into the tube on a 20-footer—a rarity in big-wave surfing at the time—and nearly making it out. Little’s relaxed, loose-armed style made his big-wave bravado seem all the cooler. Along with fellow Hawaiian Darrick Doerner, Little was named as the best Waimea riders in peer polls conducted in 1990 and 1993. Little went on to place highly in most of the big-wave events over the next few years.

Brock was the informal mentor to a slightly younger generation of Hawaiian big-wave surfers, including Todd Chesser and Shane Dorian, and was the most vocal proponent of the idea that big-wave riding, rather than being a spiritual exercise or a test of character, was just hugely fun.

“Little authored nearly 30 articles for Surfer and Surfing magazines between 1989 to 1997, mainly travel stories and big-wave features. He was the informal mentor to a slightly younger generation of Hawaiian big-wave surfers, including Todd Chesser and Shane Dorian, and was the most vocal proponent of the idea that big-wave riding, rather than being a spiritual exercise or a test of character, was just hugely fun.

“Little and fellow Hawaiian big-wave rider Mark Foo both rode Maverick’s for the first time on December 23, 1994. Around noon, Foo wiped out on a 15- foot wave while dropping in; Little and California big-wave rider Mike Parsons wiped out on the wave following and were washed into a nearshore rock out-cropping, where they both struggled mightily to get free and make it ashore. Foo had meanwhile been pushed to the bottom and drowned.

“People think that would be one of the worst ways to die, but it isn’t. I was held underwater so long one time last year that after a while everything went black and these red dots were going off in the blackness. Then I went from fighting — I never panic, I fight; there’s a big difference — to just relaxing. And after a while I just swam up. So I realized that if I die underwater, I’ll die relaxed. I’m not worried about it that much. If I die surfing, people shouldn’t feel bad.”

“Working regularly as a Hollywood stuntman since 1999, Little has appeared in over 20 films, including Pearl Harbor (2001), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Tropic Thunder (2008). He was a Screen Actors Guild Award nominee for his work in 2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Once asked by Matt Warshaw if he ever feared drowning, Brock said: “People think that would be one of the worst ways to die, but it isn’t. I was held underwater so long one time last year that after a while everything went black and these red dots were going off in the blackness. Then I went from fighting — I never panic, I fight; there’s a big difference — to just relaxing. And after a while I just swam up. So I realized that if I die underwater, I’ll die relaxed. I’m not worried about it that much. If I die surfing, people shouldn’t feel bad.”

Warshaw also asked if he had some kind of death wish. “No, not at all. It’s just that if I get myself into a radical experience—getting in a fight, or driving fast, or riding a huge wave—and live through it, I’m totally stoked. I don’t mind bleeding. I don’t mind getting held underwater. I’ve walked away from everything that’s happened so far and been better off every time.”

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What bride wouldn't squeal at the thought of Gabriel Medina brandishing his sword at your wedding?

The Movie: Adriano Gets Married!

Six days ago, the WSL world champion Adriano De Souza married the broodingly pretty Patricia Eicke in a poolside wedding.

The noted writer Chas Smithreported: “Yes, the hardest working little champ, Adriano De Souza, married his sweetheart yesterday. Her name is Patricia Eicke and she seems lovely. The affair was well attended. Filipe Toledo was there, of course, as was Gabriel Medina and a who’s who of Brazilian celeb. And where are you now ADS haters? Your slings and arrows bounce off a coat of armor made of pure love. And where are you now Kelly Slater? Plotting an over-the-top wedding to Gwen Stefani? A star-studded elopement with Sofia Vergara? Too late! Nothing but nothing can taint this innocent glory.”

And who could spoil this, the movie version of the wedding?

Looks of unutterable ecstasy upon the faces of the bride and bridesmaids!

A squadron of white balloons loosed into the Florianópolis sky!

Watch as Patricia fixes her eyes on the green mangroves of Adriano’s eyes, see Adriano, the third-most handsome Brazilian on tour (can you guess the others? Gabriel, Wiggoly) address his bride in seductive Portuguese.

The film, by Romulo Rosa, uses high definition cameras, shallow depth of field and an energetic drone to paint a tableau vivant.

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Totalitarian: Wedge lifeguards’ iron fist!

You know the Wedge, that dirty old Wedge, Newport Beach’s most famous wave? Well of course you do! It is the source for endless amusement amongst surfers and non-surfers alike. When it gets rolling you can be certain that the sands will be packed with slack jaws watching the brave get pounded.

The brave used to be mostly bodysurfers and bodyboarders. Surfers, though, have taken to the place more and more and more. Jamie O does it. Dion Agius does it too. But if they try today they may get locked up in prison next to OC gangstas.

The Wedge, you see, has always been a blackballed jam during certain hours for certain seasons but, as voted by Newport Beach’s City Council last night, the lifeguards now have the power to raise the flag any time they deem fit.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

The City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night giving lifeguard officials the power to blackball, or prohibit, hardboard surfing off city beaches whenever they determine that conditions are unsafe for swimmers, bodyboarders and users of skimboards, which are small flotation devices used in shallow water.

Such power! Such un-American values! Will the surfers revolt? Will they spray paint The Bill of Rights onto the bottom of their hard boards? Will there be a “Surf Lives Matter” movement? Should we start it right now?

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Quiksilver Wipes $600 million debt!

And announces plan for string of megastores with live music, barber shops…

In a few weeks, the iconic surf brand Quiksilver will emerge from the cocoon of chapter 11 bankruptcy 600 mill lighter in debt.

According to SMH.com, “Under the reorganisation, US-based Oaktree Capital Management will swap its debt for equity, reducing Quiksilver’s debt from $US900 million to $US300 million and freeing up funds to enable the company to rebuild after six months in limbo.

“‘The Chapter 11 process has given this company the chance to have another life,” Quiksilver president Greg Healy, a former Melbourne Football Club captain, told Fairfax Media.’When we filed for Chapter 11 the global entity had $US900 million in debt. Chapter 11 allows us to reduce debt by $US600 million – we’ll be in a lot better shape,’ he said.

“Given a new lease of life by Oaktree, which will own more than 90 per cent of the company, Quiksilver is closing underperforming stores in North America, winding up or renegotiating contracts with athletes and licensees, restructuring its supply chain, rebuilding relationships with suppliers, and reducing the number of products by more than 20 per cent.

“As well, Quiksilver also plans to roll out a new retail format called Boardriders after successfully testing the concept with a handful of stores in Australia, Japan, Europe and Russia.

“Boardriders stores are around 750 square metres – three times the size of Quiksilver’s average store – and have barber shops, live music and hardgoods such as surfboards, skateboards and snowboards as well as Quiksilver’s full range of apparel and footwear brands.”

Kelly Slater Saves Doomed Family!

If your kid and gal were washed across the Kam Highway by a rogue wave, who’d you want to be there to scoop ‘em up? How about Kelly Slater? A ludicrous dream, no?

Yesterday, the photographer (and maker of the classic Tension bodyboarding films) Chris White’s little family, wife Sarah and son Van, were swept off the bike path that runs along the beach by one of those great North Shore pulses.

And Kelly saved ‘em.

Chris wrote on his IG account: “So thankful the surf gods denied @kellyslater today cos for whatever reason he was right there to save my wife and kid who were swept across a road by a freak wave today. Forever grateful to the great man and so thankful my family is alive and safe 👊🏼 ❤️💙 Thanks to all the lifeguards too who saved many lives today… So so lucky there was no was no cars at the time as the Kam Hwy is always busy. Van was strapped into the pram and was swallowing water and sand – his ears and mouth ended up full of sand. So lucky Slater got to the pram and tipped it back up. Sarah is pretty bruised and scraped. Safe to say her phone didn’t make it. Could have ended so badly.”

Kelly, who’s as adept on social media and punching the keyboard on his telephone as he is saving lives, wrote: “@chris.whitey thank you! I didn’t look at it that way but for some random reason I stopped there when I normally don’t and happened to be there. Lifeguards were on it either way and had it handled. So glad all is well and we can (someday) laugh about it. Van’s first wave was a huge one! Definitely a WA baby!”